Working together is fun! Performing solos under a glimmering spotlight while showcasing your best flute playing is a rush, while participating in chamber music is like acting in a beautiful musical stage play, complete with imagined scenery and wordless dialogue. Communication, both musical and non-musical, is key for chamber music success, whether your ensemble is as small as a flute duet or as large as a flute choir. In chamber music, our parts work in tandem to create conversations with underlying meanings often more powerful than actual words can convey. To establish a strong sense of communication within your group, everyone needs to start on the same page. In this blog, I offer 9 of my best tips on collaborating in a chamber music environment.
1. Be polite, respectful, and friendly with your group. You all have a shared goal of performing the music in front of you as well as possible. Chamber ensemble musicians are always on the same team (even if it is just for one concert or a single rehearsal). Lighten the mood. Support each other. If someone makes a mistake, politely help them out. If you make a mistake, tackle it calmly. Keep it light. Keep it fun. And always be respectful.
2. Tune. Defer to the player on the highest voice/line. Fit into their pitch (even if your tuner disagrees). Also keep in mind that tuning does not stop at the opening pitch. Keep your ear open and adjust as needed. Sometimes you will be the third of a chord and will need to bring the pitch up or down. Other times, you may be piping away in the high register, veering sharp (as even the best of us do), against other instruments who tend to play flat. Listen always and adjust as needed.
3. Decide on a reasonable tempo together. If the tempo is too fast for one player, it is too fast for all players. When in doubt, dial the tempo back so everyone can play all of the notes. A speedy tempo can be impressive to an unknowing audience, yet if the parts do not line up properly under that tempo, there may be more important musical nuances that go unnoticed and unappreciated. Slow and steady wins the race.
4. Know your role. Are there moments when you all play the same rhythms? Are there other times when your part has the melody? Are you the accompaniment? If you have the melody, play out. If you are the accompaniment, dial it back. Remember, in chamber music the melody often travels throughout the voices. Share the spotlight! Also pay attention to your dynamics. Sometimes the composer (or editor) gives us clear clues to help us determine our musical role.
5. Read all the way through on the first go-around. This will give you an idea where the tricky bits are that will need more woodshedding. Take a deep breath and just dive in (you can do it!). Knowledge is power. If we know where we tend to get lost, we can focus more on these places during our rehearsal time (hello, practice priorities!), ironing out the tricky bits slowly and strategically. The places that slay can stay slaying all the way up until the performance – they need less of our attention.
6. Always listen, and if you have all of the parts on your music, keep your eye on the other parts. Are you agreeing on tempos? Are you cutting certain notes short? Are your beats easy to follow? Can you hear the subdivisions played by the other instruments? Are you matching note lengths together? If you have a full score, I recommend practicing your music with the score to know exactly how your part fits into the larger picture.
7. Match vibrato speeds. Keep in mind when playing with other flutists that some of us use a faster default vibrato speed than others. In a duet/quartet/flute choir/chamber music environment, we want to keep it consistent. Just like tuning, try to default to the player with the highest voice. How fast is their vibrato? Can you match it? This can also be accomplished in a wind quintet environment. Listen closely to the oboe and clarinet. How fast is their vibrato? Does it change? Where do they use more vibrato to color a phrase? This is how we begin to blend with other instruments. Fitting into their vibrato speed will help you fit into their sound. The very best chamber ensembles are the ones that blur the lines between the different voices.
8. Maintain eye contact with your colleagues at the beginnings and endings of phrases, during any fermatas, and other times needed to communicate cues or changes in the music. Communication does not start and stop with the beat. Yes, you need to all have a shared sense of where the beat lives, yet part of our job as often the highest voice in the ensemble is to show where the beat starts, where it is going, and when it will end. The end of your flute can be like a baton for your colleagues. Give them a beat they can see, a slowdown they can vibe check with, and a fermata that releases clearly. They will appreciate your clarity.
9. HAVE FUN! Performing chamber music should be fun! The very best part about playing in a chamber music group is the connections we make with other super awesome musicians. Music is best when it lives as a shared experience. Sometimes the rehearsals are more inspiring than the performance itself. We laugh together. We overcome challenges together. We celebrate each other’s musical wins. Enjoy the experience of connecting with your musical colleagues. Chamber music friends are often friends for life!
What tips do you have for performing in a chamber music ensemble? How do you best communicate verbally and non-verbally with your colleagues?
Happy fluting!
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About the Author, Rachel Taylor Geier:
Rachel Taylor Geier holds a DMA in Flute Performance from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, an MM in Flute Performance from San Francisco State University, and a BM in Music Performance from DePauw University. Former applied instructors include Immanuel Davis, Linda Lukas, Anne Reynolds, and Rhonda Bradetich. Dr. Geier currently teaches and freelances in Woodland, California and hosts a popular Flute Friday Blog Series.
